She may be appearing in “The Gambler,” but don’t chalk Brie Larson’s rising star up to luck. The 25-year-old made a critical splash in “Short Term 12” in 2013, as the supervisor of a foster home for troubled teenagers. Her performance earned raves — and a wave of upcoming roles.

Mark Wahlberg and Brie Larson “The Gambler.”AP

Her latest is “The Gambler,” a remake of a 1974 film that stars Mark Wahlberg as an English professor with a crippling addiction. Larson — born Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers — has a pivotal part as his star student and girlfriend.

She likens his character’s descent into the underbelly of gambling debt to a mythical journey.

“In Greek mythology there’s a story of a woman [Ishtar,] going through the seven gates of hell to reach her daughter; she gets to the bottom in order to be reborn again,” says the actress, who enjoys taking random college courses for fun, recently professed a love for the study of fungi, and adheres to a strict vegan and gluten-free diet. She’s good friends with fellow earth-goddess-starlet Shailene Woodley, who has said they “have a primal connection.”

Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, and James Ponsoldt at the Sundance Film Festival.WireImage

But the Sacramento native, who was homeschooled for much of her childhood, does have a lighter side. She dates Alex Greenwald, lead singer for the band Phantom Planet, and she’s set to appear in Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer’s movie, “Trainwreck,” out next summer. She swears it was a case of stealth casting.

“I never knew I was auditioning!” she says. “Judd called me and was like, ‘Hi, I’m working on this script, want to come by and hang out with us?’ So I came to his office, and Amy and him and a couple other people were hanging out. I started telling them funny stories about my life, making fun of myself. When I left, they were like, ‘Want to come back tomorrow?’ So I came back and talked some more, and Judd said, ‘Can I take a picture of you with Amy? Because you two look a lot like sisters.’ ” Soon thereafter, she says, she was offered the part of Schumer’s sibling.